1080p Plasma - Is it worth the $ and the wait?

I'm in the market for a new hdtv and I'm torn about purchasing now, or
waiting and spending more money on the 1080p plasma. The Elite is the
only model I know of at the moment, and it's $6,000. I know
Panasonic and Samsung are coming out with 1080p models later this
year, but will still carry a price tag of over $4,000. Right now, I
can buy a 52" Sharp Aquos for less than $3,000, which supports 1080p
and has a higher refresh rate than any other LCD. I'm torn between
buying now, or holding out for plasma.

I want to hear other people's opinions here. Is it worth the time and
money to wait on the 1080p plasmas or will the 52" Sharp Aquos please
me?

Thanks!

On 2007-03-06, wrote:
I'm in the market for a new hdtv and I'm torn about purchasing now, or
waiting and spending more money on the 1080p plasma. The Elite is the
only model I know of at the moment, and it's $6,000. I know
Panasonic and Samsung are coming out with 1080p models later this
year, but will still carry a price tag of over $4,000. Right now, I
can buy a 52" Sharp Aquos for less than $3,000, which supports 1080p
and has a higher refresh rate than any other LCD. I'm torn between
buying now, or holding out for plasma.

I want to hear other people's opinions here. Is it worth the time and
money to wait on the 1080p plasmas or will the 52" Sharp Aquos please
me?

Thanks!

How close will you be sitting? Too far and the extra resolution doesn't
matter. See the charts he

http://www.carltonbale.com/blog/2006...p-does-matter/

-Bill
--
Sattre Press Tales of War
http://sattre-press.com/ by Lord Dunsany
http://sattre-press.com/tow.html

The way I think about it is..... how long do I plan to keep this display?
For years?

And is it gonna bother you down the road
(and not too far) that 1080p HD-DVD/BR/Combo players
are priced right and there are 1080p movies everywhere
for rent and purchase.

It sure would bother me. :-)
At this time in the game, to Me 1080p and HDMI are a minimal requirement.

Just a thought have you checked out other technologies? ie DLP, SXRD, DiLA.
Good bang for the buck at the moment.

wrote:

I'm in the market for a new hdtv and I'm torn about purchasing now, or
waiting and spending more money on the 1080p plasma. The Elite is the
only model I know of at the moment, and it's $6,000. I know
Panasonic and Samsung are coming out with 1080p models later this
year, but will still carry a price tag of over $4,000. Right now, I
can buy a 52" Sharp Aquos for less than $3,000, which supports 1080p
and has a higher refresh rate than any other LCD. I'm torn between
buying now, or holding out for plasma.

I want to hear other people's opinions here. Is it worth the time and
money to wait on the 1080p plasmas or will the 52" Sharp Aquos please
me?

Thanks!




--
Ric Seyler
Online Racing: RicSeyler
GPL Handicap 6.35

http://www.pcola.gulf.net/~ricseyler
remove –SPAM- from email address
--------------------------------------
"Homer no function beer well without."
- H.J. Simpson

wrote:
I'm in the market for a new hdtv and I'm torn about purchasing now, or
waiting and spending more money on the 1080p plasma. The Elite is the
only model I know of at the moment, and it's $6,000. I know
Panasonic and Samsung are coming out with 1080p models later this
year, but will still carry a price tag of over $4,000. Right now, I
can buy a 52" Sharp Aquos for less than $3,000, which supports 1080p
and has a higher refresh rate than any other LCD. I'm torn between
buying now, or holding out for plasma.

I want to hear other people's opinions here. Is it worth the time and
money to wait on the 1080p plasmas or will the 52" Sharp Aquos please
me?

Thanks!

Not a simple question. First, there is another choice for a 1080p 50"
plasma. The commercial 50" Panasonic TH-50PF9UY is available from
on-line dealers for around $4200 to $4400. This is a monitor, so it has
no speakers, no tuners, and you have to buy HDMI or DVI plug-in cards
for digital input. Before buying one of these, you need to understand
exactly what you are getting. Panasonic has announced 50" and 58" 1080p
consumer models, the TH-50PZ700U and TH-58PZ700U, to be released this
summer. Supposedly may show up as early as June. The list prices for
these has not been announced.

Pioneer showed their next generation 1080p plasmas at CES in January
with reportedly greatly improved black levels and contrast. The reports
from CES were very high on the picture quality. But there were no
specifics as to when these would be released beyond later in 2007 and
what the pricing would be besides on the high side.

So there is one other option for a 50" 1080p plasma and will be more
by summer. Will be a lot of 1080p choices in the 60" size range (58" to
65") from most of the name brands.

While 1080p screen resolution would be preferable at a 50" screen size,
at typical living room sitting distances of 8 to 12 feet, the difference
in the detectable detail of the picture is not going to be easy to see.
There is a subtle effect that I have seen (and others have reported on)
with the 1080p that it has a more 3D or depth of field look for good
quality 1080i and 1080p sources. The question is whether the loss of
contrast and higher black levels (because of the smaller pixel elements)
offset the increased resolution. Independent of price, a lot of people
have decided for the 1st generation smaller ( 60") 1080p, that the
answer is no. Add the much higher current price for 1080p plasmas, it is
harder to justify getting one now.

When the 2nd generation 1080p panels come out this summer, the answer
may be different. The prices should be lower and much more competitive
to the same size range 1080p LCD flat panels.

I currently have a 42" Panasonic TH-42PHD7UY plasma. I want to step up
to a 50" screen size. I would prefer to go for a 1080p resolution
screen, but not if it costs 2x more than a 768p panel and has poorer
contrast. Since I already have a HD TV, I figure the smart thing to do
is to wait until late summer or fall, see where the prices are and what
the trade-offs are.

But if you don't have a good or large HD TV, then waiting for another
round of yet more improvements may be too long. The larger Sharp Aquos
LCDs have had problems with banding, that is uneven bands visible on the
screen. It apparently shows up more on some units than it does others.
Do a search for this as I have not kept up on the details.

If I had to buy a replacement HD TV right now, I would probably get
either the Pioneer 5070, Panasonic TH-50PX60U ($1K cheaper than the
5070), or in a few weeks, the new Panasonic TH-50PX75U (new model
replacing the PX60 series) and not worry about the 1080p issue as any of
those models will provide a excellent HD picture. But your TV setup and
use probably differs from mine, so you have to decide what works best
for you.

Alan F

On Mar 6, 11:00 am, Ric Seyler wrote:
The way I think about it is..... how long do I plan to keep this display?
For years?

And is it gonna bother you down the road
(and not too far) that 1080p HD-DVD/BR/Combo players
are priced right and there are 1080p movies everywhere
for rent and purchase.

It sure would bother me. :-)
At this time in the game, to Me 1080p and HDMI are a minimal requirement.

Just a thought have you checked out other technologies? ie DLP, SXRD, DiLA.
Good bang for the buck at the moment.



wrote:
I'm in the market for a new hdtv and I'm torn about purchasing now, or
waiting and spending more money on the 1080p plasma. The Elite is the
only model I know of at the moment, and it's $6,000. I know
Panasonic and Samsung are coming out with 1080p models later this
year, but will still carry a price tag of over $4,000. Right now, I
can buy a 52" Sharp Aquos for less than $3,000, which supports 1080p
and has a higher refresh rate than any other LCD. I'm torn between
buying now, or holding out for plasma.

I want to hear other people's opinions here. Is it worth the time and
money to wait on the 1080p plasmas or will the 52" Sharp Aquos please
me?

Thanks!

--
Ric Seyler
Online Racing: RicSeyler
GPL Handicap 6.35
/~ricseyler
remove -SPAM- from email address
--------------------------------------
"Homer no function beer well without."
- H.J. Simpson

I've looked at DLP and it wasn't bright enough and it had poor viewing
angles compared to the LCDs and Plasmas. Never heard of SXRD or
DiLA. Are they better than DLP?

Interesting comments, Alan. Thank you very much.

I have heard about the banding on the Sharp Aquos, but I was hoping
I'd get a good one that wouldn't band . Here is where my dilemma
lies: I want the brightness of a Plasma, but the 1080p resolution of
an LCD. My issues with the LCD is the pixilation, which drives me
nuts. The Aquos has a higher refresh rate and minimizes the
pixilation. However, when you compare the colors to other LCDs, such
as a Sony, it doesn't look as good, however the Sony pixilates and the
Sharp doesn't. This is why I'm looking at the Sharp. If it's a bad
buy, then I'm lost again, not knowing which one to get. I have one of
those eyes that picks up flaws, so any "issue" on the screen will
really bother me. I've thought about rear projection, but the viewing
angles stink. I had a Pioneer Elite rear projection TV, and the
picture was almost perfect, if you were directly in front of the TV.
If you were slightly off, the picture shadowed, which of course drove
me nuts.

There were many plasmas that I saw where the picture was really nice,
but it wasn't 1080p. If I want to keep the TV for more than 5 years,
I would think I'd want the current technology. Is that a mistake?

Are there any rear projection TVs that have great viewing angles and
good brightness?

Thanks

wrote:

On Mar 6, 11:00 am, Ric Seyler wrote:


The way I think about it is..... how long do I plan to keep this display?
For years?

And is it gonna bother you down the road
(and not too far) that 1080p HD-DVD/BR/Combo players
are priced right and there are 1080p movies everywhere
for rent and purchase.

It sure would bother me. :-)
At this time in the game, to Me 1080p and HDMI are a minimal requirement.

Just a thought have you checked out other technologies? ie DLP, SXRD, DiLA.
Good bang for the buck at the moment.



wrote:


I'm in the market for a new hdtv and I'm torn about purchasing now, or
waiting and spending more money on the 1080p plasma. The Elite is the
only model I know of at the moment, and it's $6,000. I know
Panasonic and Samsung are coming out with 1080p models later this
year, but will still carry a price tag of over $4,000. Right now, I
can buy a 52" Sharp Aquos for less than $3,000, which supports 1080p
and has a higher refresh rate than any other LCD. I'm torn between
buying now, or holding out for plasma.


I want to hear other people's opinions here. Is it worth the time and
money to wait on the 1080p plasmas or will the 52" Sharp Aquos please
me?


Thanks!


--
Ric Seyler
Online Racing: RicSeyler
GPL Handicap 6.35
/~ricseyler
remove -SPAM- from email address
--------------------------------------
"Homer no function beer well without."
- H.J. Simpson



I've looked at DLP and it wasn't bright enough and it had poor viewing
angles compared to the LCDs and Plasmas. Never heard of SXRD or
DiLA. Are they better than DLP?


In some areas, all display technologies have their advantages in certain
areas.
Even the CURRENT LCD's are getting better.

SXRD is Sony's version of Liquid Crystal on Silicone. And DiLA is JVC's
version
of a similar Liquid Crystal on Silicone technology. They both get very
good reviews.

And with DLP brightness newer sets can be very bright, so much so the first
thing many reviewers immediately go in and turn off their "Torch Mode".

But like has been said NEW Plasma sets can give that extra little ummph
of immersion and kinda 3D effect. But they are pricey.

It's just me but I wouldn't buy anything now a days without 1080p & HDMI.

--
Ric Seyler
Online Racing: RicSeyler
GPL Handicap 6.35

http://www.pcola.gulf.net/~ricseyler
remove -SPAM- from email address
--------------------------------------
"Homer no function beer well without."
- H.J. Simpson

wrote:
Interesting comments, Alan. Thank you very much.

I have heard about the banding on the Sharp Aquos, but I was hoping
I'd get a good one that wouldn't band . Here is where my dilemma
lies: I want the brightness of a Plasma, but the 1080p resolution of
an LCD. My issues with the LCD is the pixilation, which drives me
nuts. The Aquos has a higher refresh rate and minimizes the
pixilation. However, when you compare the colors to other LCDs, such
as a Sony, it doesn't look as good, however the Sony pixilates and the
Sharp doesn't. This is why I'm looking at the Sharp. If it's a bad
buy, then I'm lost again, not knowing which one to get. I have one of
those eyes that picks up flaws, so any "issue" on the screen will
really bother me. I've thought about rear projection, but the viewing
angles stink. I had a Pioneer Elite rear projection TV, and the
picture was almost perfect, if you were directly in front of the TV.
If you were slightly off, the picture shadowed, which of course drove
me nuts.

There were many plasmas that I saw where the picture was really nice,
but it wasn't 1080p. If I want to keep the TV for more than 5 years,
I would think I'd want the current technology. Is that a mistake?

Are there any rear projection TVs that have great viewing angles and
good brightness?

IMO, no. Lack of wide viewing angles with no falloff in the screen
brightness or loss of contrast are an inherent weakness of RP TVs. The
RP micro display (DLP, LCOS, SXRD, LCD) TVs are switching to LED bulbs
and have had bright lamps for some time, so they can provide a brighter
screen than used to be the norm with CRT RPTVs.

My problem with the larger LCD displays is the poorer black levels and
lack of detail that I see in dark scenes, even with the latest
generation screens. LCDs have made major strides in more accurate color
displays, but they still lag behind the plasmas in natural looking
colors. I stopped by a Best Buy/Magnolia store tonight and I saw that
they had several of the new D92U series Sharps in the Magnolia store.
They were running the same DiscoveryHD material to most of the HD TVs so
I compared the 52" D92U Sharp to the 50" Pioneer Elite & Panasonic
plasmas next to it. The two 768p plasmas still had the better and more
natural looking picture to my eyes, despite not having the full
1920x1080 resolution. But others will disagree with me, after all, this
is the net!

As for technology, a 768p plasma with two HDMI and two component ports
is not going to be completely out of date any time soon. The TV will
accept 480i, 480p, 720, and 1080i TV signals. Those are not going to
change. The issue is whether the HDMI ports will accept 1080/24p signals
which will be useful for watching movies on HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players.
1080/60p input signals are likely to be restricted to the occasional HD
disk source shot on expensive video cameras and game consoles for the
next few years. If you can wait several weeks, more should be known
about the Panasonic plasmas being released this year. If you really want
to dive into the LCD vs plasma information pool, got to the three flat
panel forums he http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=9
and read up.

Alan F

Alan F wrote:

As for technology, a 768p plasma with two HDMI and two component ports
is not going to be completely out of date any time soon. The TV will
accept 480i, 480p, 720, and 1080i TV signals. Those are not going to
change. The issue is whether the HDMI ports will accept 1080/24p signals
which will be useful for watching movies on HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players.
1080/60p input signals are likely to be restricted to the occasional HD
disk source shot on expensive video cameras and game consoles for the
next few years.

Don't most BluRay and HDDVD players have the ability to downres their output to
720p? It would just seem such an obvious need that I can't imagine they
wouldn't include that capability. Admittedly, I have not looked at these
players yet, but I would expect them to take into account that at this point in
time most displays in homes (and in stores) are not 1080p capable.

wrote in message
ps.com...
On Mar 6, 11:00 am, Ric Seyler wrote:
The way I think about it is..... how long do I plan to keep this display?
For years?

And is it gonna bother you down the road
(and not too far) that 1080p HD-DVD/BR/Combo players
are priced right and there are 1080p movies everywhere
for rent and purchase.

It sure would bother me. :-)
At this time in the game, to Me 1080p and HDMI are a minimal requirement.

Just a thought have you checked out other technologies? ie DLP, SXRD,
DiLA.
Good bang for the buck at the moment.



wrote:
I'm in the market for a new hdtv and I'm torn about purchasing now, or
waiting and spending more money on the 1080p plasma. The Elite is the
only model I know of at the moment, and it's $6,000. I know
Panasonic and Samsung are coming out with 1080p models later this
year, but will still carry a price tag of over $4,000. Right now, I
can buy a 52" Sharp Aquos for less than $3,000, which supports 1080p
and has a higher refresh rate than any other LCD. I'm torn between
buying now, or holding out for plasma.

I want to hear other people's opinions here. Is it worth the time and
money to wait on the 1080p plasmas or will the 52" Sharp Aquos please
me?

Thanks!

--
Ric Seyler
Online Racing: RicSeyler
GPL Handicap 6.35
/~ricseyler
remove -SPAM- from email address
--------------------------------------
"Homer no function beer well without."
- H.J. Simpson

I've looked at DLP and it wasn't bright enough and it had poor viewing
angles compared to the LCDs and Plasmas. Never heard of SXRD or
DiLA. Are they better than DLP?

You need to check out Sony's SXRD. Best picture quality by far. Except
for the Sony's discontinued Qualia, which is also SXRD. Also called LCOS,
Liquid Crystal on Silicon..